Who Knows Who Cares
by tinyhuman02
Summary: AU: Best friends April Kepner and Jo Wilson arrive in Aspen for a much needed vacation, but after crossing paths with fraternity brothers Jackson Avery and Alex Karev, their original plan unexpectedly changes. Japril/Jolex; Two-shot.
1. Easy As It Sounds

**Hey, folks! This was originally meant to be a one shot, but the story was getting very long so now it's a two shot. And this gives me room to expand the story a little more :) I'm also using this fic as a test run for Jolex. I've never truly written them as a pairing yet and if all goes well, I will try my hand at writing a Jolex fic in the future.**

**Anyway, let me know what you think by leaving a review please! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Grey's or its characters. These lovely people belong to Shonda Rhimes.**

* * *

Aspen, Colorado. Known for its world-class ski resorts, vacationers flocked to the small city every winter for a week full of fun on the slopes. For Alex Karev and Jackson Avery, they had been dreaming about winter break since they planned the trip in July. A week away from college classes while hitting the slopes and potentially meeting attractive women on the mountains – that already sounded ten times better than the parties they hosted at their fraternity house.

Staying at the Snowmass Inn just outside of Aspen in the Snowmass Village, the two men had hoped for the best vacation of their young lives. However, just a day into their trip, one mishap already sidelined one of them.

"We have six days left here and you decide to fracture your freaking wrist on the first day," a disgruntled Alex scolded his roommate as he plopped down beside him on the couch in the main lobby of their ski lodge. He stared at the white cast on Jackson's right wrist and shook his head. "At least that thing will be healed by the time spring football starts. Coach will probably still kill you, though."

Both men were members of the football team at the University of Colorado. Avery was one of the starting wide receivers and Karev starred at safety for the Buffaloes. They had just finished a respectable junior season, which included winning the Holiday Bowl in late December. Winning their bowl game made celebrating in Aspen even sweeter – until Jackson's accident.

"Whatever. Coach appreciates me too much to give me a hard time about it," Jackson nonchalantly replied. Of course he was pissed at himself for ruining a vacation he and his friend spent months saving up for, but perhaps there was a silver lining in it all. "Some girls dig an injured guy. While you're out snowboarding, I bet there's a woman out there who will feel sympathetic towards me."

"Dude, don't get too confident. The only chicks you'll be attracting are grandmas who end up sitting next to you to knit a sweater," Alex declared, eying their surroundings. His eyes stopped at a pair of young women entering the lobby with their luggage. "Hotties at three o'clock."

The pretty boy followed his friend's finger as he pointed out a redhead and a brunette. They appeared to be around the same age as them. Jackson was immediately drawn to the redheaded woman, who smiled at the clerk at the front desk. "Good catch, Karev. I think they're alone."

"I call dibs on the hot one," he blurted out.

"The brunette or the redhead?"

"Both," Alex chuckled, pushing himself up from the couch. He stretched his arms out in front of himself, cracking his knuckles. "Excuse me while I go make the first move. Have fun moping on the couch, Avery."

Jackson rolled his eyes. His roommate was typically arrogant when it came to meeting women. He acted like he could get any woman he wanted at the drop of a hat. His success rate was 50/50. "I broke my wrist not my legs," he muttered before standing up to watch Alex attempt to pick up the two women.

Leaning against the side of the check-in counter, Alex smugly grinned at the two women. "Need help with your luggage? I'm the lodge's official bellhop and you two look like you could use an extra hand for those suitcases," he offered. "We can discuss tipping charges when we're in your room."

The brunette briefly scanned his outfit – a black, Colorado Football hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans. "Where's your little bellhop hat then?" she asked with a smirk. "And thanks, but we don't need a big, strong man to help us damsels in distress carry our luggage. We can handle ourselves just fine."

"So, you want to get a drink at the bar later?" he called out to them as they walked away.

Jackson stepped beside his teammate and patted his shoulder. "Smooth, man. You totally won them over," he teasingly said, drawing a scowl from Alex.

"Shut up. That one girl's playing hard to get. She was checking me out," he insisted.

"Or maybe she noticed your fly's open," he noted, glancing down at the opening of his friend's pants.

"Dammit!" Alex turned towards the front desk and swiftly zipped his jeans. He nudged Jackson's arm with the back of his hand. "You couldn't have warned me _before_ I started talking to them?"

Jackson shrugged and smiled. "I hadn't noticed until now."

* * *

"Can you believe that guy?" Jo Wilson said, shaking her head in disgust as she entered her hotel room with her redheaded friend following her from behind. She set her suitcase against a wall, then she sat down on one of the beds. "He thinks he can just pick us up like that? Not even five minutes passed since we arrived and we're getting hit on by pigs."

"This resort is huge. We probably won't see him again," April Kepner assured her.

"I hope so. I feel like this trip is already turning sour."

April and Jo were psychology majors at Colorado State University. The latter also played libero for the women's volleyball team. They met when they were freshmen, having been paired up in the dorms and being complete opposites. April was a bookworm who focused on her studies, while Jo was more outgoing, yet they somehow formed a close bond with each other. It took a year for the brunette to help her roommate break out of her shell socially and in return, the redhead was the first person she confided in when she had personal problems.

Especially now.

"No, no, no. Remember why we're here in the first place?" April reminded her roommate as she sat down beside her. "This is your escape from everything going on in Fort Collins. We're supposed to have fun and I'm here to help you get over… the man whose name I won't say ever again."

Jo looked at April with a slight frown on her face. "You don't even like snowboarding."

"Yeah, but… I'm going to give it a try for you!" she cheerfully answered. "Even if I fall down on my ass fifty times on the bunny slope, it'll be worth it because you're my best friend and I'm helping you celebrate the end of your darkest hours – or last eight, dark months. Whatever."

"You are way too good of a friend sometimes," Jo politely stated and hugged her roommate. "I should've listened to you the first time you warned me about him. I just thought that… you were upset about becoming a third wheel-"

April shook her head and smiled. "No, I understand. Love blinds people. I'm just happy you're done with him."

She nodded in agreement. "You know, I'm glad to be unattached right now. He turned me into this pathetic, insecure girl that I couldn't recognize anymore in the mirror. I'm going to enjoy the single life and help _you_ find a man."

"That's the spirit! Wait, _what_?" April stared at Jo with wide eyes. "That- that's not a part of the plan."

"April, you do not deserve to be single for as long as you've been single. And that pervert was hitting on the both of us, so he clearly thinks you're attractive."

"But I don't want to date a pervert! Anyway, we're not here to search for guys. This is supposed to be a single ladies event."

Jo rolled her eyes and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "You haven't been on a date in six months. Your last boyfriend was over a year ago," she recalled. "Plus, you spend so much time helping me with my crappy guy problems that I should be doing the same for you. I know it takes some time for you to open up to a person, but once you're comfortable you're a lovable woman!"

"Okay, let's say you actually find me an interesting man – what's the point? What if he doesn't even live in Colorado?" April skeptically questioned. "It was bad enough getting dumped by somebody who _does_ live in the same zip code as me. I just don't want to have false hope over some guy I may never see again."

The brunette fell back onto her bed and sighed. "Sometimes you lose hope too easily," she noted before closing her eyes. "I think I'm going to take a nap. We'll have time to check out the slopes and rent snowboards in the afternoon."

"Then, I'll go for a walk and explore. See what else there is to do aside from snowboarding," April declared, standing up and walking towards the door. "You want some coffee or something on my way back?"

"That would be great. Thanks, April," Jo answered, then she chuckled. "Hope you don't run into that gross dude."

The redhead softly smiled as she left their hotel room. She slipped on her gloves and adjusted the baby blue and white, argyle patterned beanie on her head before wandering around the resort. She spent time watching skiers and snowboarders pass through the trails, cringing at the novices who fell face first into the snow. April was positive she would be one of those people who embarrassed themselves in public, but she would suck it up for Jo.

After checking out the slopes, she continued to explore the resort. There were some restaurants they could dine at, hang out at the Snowmass Village Mall or they could take a shuttle to Aspen. April felt relieved she wouldn't have to snowboard for the entire week. She bought two coffees at the café and headed back to her hotel. Deciding to cut through the lobby, she hadn't noticed somebody leaving when she reached for the door. The door swung open, hitting her square in the face. Fortunately, she managed to cling on to the cup holder in her other hand and avoided a spilling accident, but getting hit in the face was bad enough.

"Oh! Are you alright?" Jackson panicked, his eyes wide open as the woman in front of him lightly rubbed her nose. He raised his hands and grimaced. "Did I break it?"

April moved her hand away, blinking her eyes rapidly to dry the tears. She cleared her throat and shook her head. "No, I think it's fine," she agitatedly replied. Looking up at the pretty boy, she sighed. "Careless much?"

"I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to-" He paused when he realized he had seen her before. She was the friend of the brunette woman Alex tried to hit on earlier in the lobby. In his opinion, she appeared even more gorgeous up close. He smiled, extending out his hand. "Hi, I'm Jackson. Jackson Avery."

"Uhh… April Kepner," she reluctantly introduced herself, shaking his hand. "Anyway, I should go. My friend's waiting for me."

Jackson blocked the entrance, so she couldn't walk past him. "Wait. I umm, I want to truly apologize for practically bashing your face with the door by treating you to dinner," he offered, flashing his pearly whites at her. "Would that be cool?"

She raised her eyebrow at him. "I just met you and you're asking me out?"

He simply shrugged and smiled again. "Yeah, so? You're a beautiful lady."

April shyly laughed, then she bit down on her bottom lip as her cheeks changed to a rosy shade of red. Men had approached her before, but they weren't as bold and confident as Jackson. Even though she felt shallow thinking about it, he was a very handsome man. He seemed to be someone who was used to women dropping down to their knees and worshipping him. There was a certain charm about him that immediately drew her in.

"I don't think anybody's ever called me a lady before," she amusingly replied. "Or is this how you coax your way into women's pants? Act sweet now and turn into a pig later?"

"What? No way. I'm a genuine person," the football player insisted, placing his arms behind his back. Jackson bounced on his heels as he smirked at her. "So, how about it? You and me at the steakhouse tonight? I really want to make it up to you for what just happened."

"Thanks, but… I'm here to support my best friend. She just got out of a bad relationship and-"

"That's perfect!" Jackson excitedly said, pointing at himself. "I'm here with my best friend too. We can do a double date, so our other halves won't feel left out. And you know, at least your friend will make sure I don't get all frisky with my hands- well, _hand_. I'm on the injured list."

April noticed the cast on his right wrist. "I can see that. Why are you here if you have a broken arm?"

He sheepishly grinned. "I broke it yesterday. Major wipeout. It wasn't pretty."

"That's a shame," she apologetically answered. "Can I go back to my room now, please?"

"You haven't agreed to have dinner with me yet," he reminded her. "Is 6:30 alright with you?"

She pursed her lips and smiled. "You won't move until I say yes, huh?" He slowly nodded in response, then she playfully rolled her eyes. "Okay, whatever. I'll meet you at 6:30."

"You promise? No flaking?"

"Trust me. I'm normally the one who gets blown off, so I will be there."

Jackson was slightly taken aback by April's comment. He fully expected her to have a boyfriend, so he was happy to find out she was single. Unless she was some serial killer or a nymphomaniac, why would anybody want to blow _her_ off?

"Good," he stated, stepping aside to let her pass. "Remember to bring your friend. See you tonight, April."

"Right. I'll see you tonight," she confirmed before rushing into the lobby. April waited until Jackson couldn't see her face to start grinning from ear to ear. She had never landed a date so quickly with a person she had just met and an incredibly good looking one as well.

Maybe this trip wouldn't be so bad after all, she thought.

* * *

"I thought you were all about girl time and ignoring boys?" Jo humorously told April on their way to the steakhouse located a couple of minutes away by foot. Her roommate had returned to their hotel room with a bright grin on her face, making her immediately suspicious. When the redhead recalled what had happened with Jackson she couldn't believe her best friend was quick to accept a date with a man she just met. She was even more amused that she agreed to bring her along for a double date with his own friend without asking her. "I hope you know whatever happens tonight, it's on you if it goes wrong."

"What could go wrong? Jackson was really sweet… after he slammed the door in my face." April went out of her way to make herself look more attractive for dinner. She added a little makeup and changed her clothes. Nothing provocative, but the puffy jacket and beanie attire didn't scream sexy to her – not that she was expecting anything to come out of a friendly dinner with two strangers. "But if you don't want to stay, you can totally leave."

The brunette scoffed. "And let two potential rapists take advantage of you?"

She lightly slapped her friend's arm. "I'm 99% sure they're not rapists."

"Oh yeah? Did you interview them individually?" Jo sarcastically replied. April rolled her eyes in response. "Okay, I'll suck it up if it means I get to see you interacting with a man. Try not to snort if he's funny."

"I don't snort," she retorted. "That one time at Steve's party doesn't count. It just… came out. It was an unintentional snort. It happens."

"And make eye contact."

"Josephine! You're making me nervous!" April snapped. She only ever called her friend by her full name whenever she was upset or scolding her. The full name treatment always made Jo laugh. "I know how to talk to a guy. I already did it earlier without embarrassing myself."

Jo snickered as she entered the steakhouse with April. "Well, that's a relief."

The redhead spotted Jackson sitting at a booth and he waved when they made eye contact. "There he is," she pointed out, shyly waving back at him.

Alex sat down beside his roommate causing Jo to gasp. "_That's_ the friend he brought along? He's the guy who hit on us earlier!" she said, shaking her head in disgust. She waved her arms in front of her chest and turned to leave. "No way. I'm not having dinner with that creep."

"You can't leave me here with both of them!" April panicked.

"Of course I can! Enjoy your first ever threesome, April," Jo firmly stated.

April grabbed her best friend's forearm before she could leave. "Please stay. How about this? Suck it up through dinner and if you're still feeling the urge to tear his balls off, you can leave. Besides, we're getting a free meal out of this," she insisted, then she took a quick glimpse of Alex. "I don't know about you, but he can't be worse than… you know who."

Although she was starving, Jo preferred eating a cheap corndog over sitting down with the obnoxious man who had attempted to hit on her. He was attractive, but first impressions mattered more to her. She sighed, rolling her eyes at April. "If it wasn't for the free meal part, I would've bolted out of here by now," she half-heartedly replied. "Fine. Let's go sit down."

From across the room, Alex nudged Jackson with his elbow when he noticed the two women approaching them. "Dude, you didn't tell me our dates were the chicks who blew me off," he muttered. "Which one do I get?"

"The one who made you look like an idiot," the pretty boy answered, smirking back at him.

"You would give me the one who probably hates me, douche," Alex responded with a scowl.

Jackson chuckled. "She wasn't the woman I hit with the door. Just don't make a fool of yourself again," he advised before smiling up at April and Jo. "Hey, thanks for coming. Have a seat."

April slid inside of the booth first, then Jo sat down beside her. Removing her jacket, April smiled at Jackson before she introduced her other half. "So, this is my roommate, Jo Wilson." She looked at Alex, who was attempting to check out her friend's cleavage. "And I'm April Kepner."

Alex smugly grinned before sipping his beer. "Ah, I like girls with boy names – and month names," he said, winking at them. He pointed at himself. "The name's Karev. Alex Karev and you already know my boy, Avery here."

"Karev…" Jo slowly repeated, furrowing her brow. She had heard of the name before and she hadn't initially connected the dots even after she noticed his hooded sweatshirt with his school's logo on it. "Oh, gross! You're the goon who basically ruined our school's football season when you injured my friend and sidelined him for the year."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

The brunette turned to face April. "Remember the home opener versus Colorado? This guy broke Shane's clavicle when he tackled him in midair!" she ranted, gesturing her hand towards Jackson. "And his buddy here scored four touchdowns on us afterwards. We got killed!"

"You two attend Colorado State?" Jackson asked inquisitively.

"Yes. Jo's on the women's volleyball team," April noted. "And I'm… nothing really."

He softly laughed and smiled. "I'm sure that's not true. You've gotta be something."

"A good lay," Alex mumbled, drawing a quick elbow from Jackson.

Jo waved her hand as she smirked at April. "Don't listen to her. She's really smart. Like, _really_ smart. She can solve a Rubik's Cube easily."

"So how come you're not at a smart school like Harvard or Stanford?" Alex bluntly said. He received another elbow nudge from Jackson. "I mean, if you're really smart, why didn't you take your brain to an Ivy League?"

"I'm not a genius or anything," April murmured, glancing down at her menu.

Jackson decided to change the subject to ease away the awkward tension. "How long are you two staying here?"

"Until Sunday morning. Then we'll head back to Fort Collins."

"Oh, same here. That gives us the rest of the week to get to know each other better," he replied, smiling at the redhead. The pretty boy noticed Jo rolling her eyes, so he tried to keep his focus on April. His eyes scanned her flowing auburn hair, her pale skin and her light pink lips. He barely knew her and he already wanted to kiss her. His eyes darted down towards his menu when she glanced up at him. "I hear the steak is… good."

Alex snickered as he skimmed his own menu. "So, Jo. What do you plan on ordering? The overpriced salad to keep your figure intact?" he scoffed.

"Of course you would think that considering it seems like your brain is the size of a peanut," the brunette retorted. When the waiter arrived she didn't hesitate to order first. "I'll have the rib eye steak – medium rare – with a loaded baked potato, along with steamed vegetables _and_ a Caesar salad on the side. Oh, and an ice cold beer, please."

The football stared at Jo in admiration. Most of the women he brought out to dinner, which was a rarity since he mainly brought them to his bedroom in the fraternity house instead of taking them out on an official date, ordered a freaking salad. It had annoyed him greatly that he wasted money on a small salad that he hardly did the dating thing.

But he could tell this one was different. She was hard to break. And he found her feisty attitude towards him just as attractive as her appearance.

Jo quickly noticed Alex staring at her and she furrowed her brow in confusion. "What? Surprised a skinny girl like me has a large appetite?"

He shook his head, snapping himself out of his zone. "I'll have what she's having," he told the waiter, smiling back at the volleyball player. "But uhh, I'll have two baked potatoes."

"I haven't even known you for fifteen minutes and you're already ruining my life," she irritably replied.

"Trust me. You'll like me by the time this vacation is over," Alex insisted, offering a wink afterwards. "Anyway, what's Jo short for?"

"Like I'm going to tell you that," Jo answered and laughed to herself. She leaned close to April, forcing herself to smile as she whispered through gritted teeth, "Can I punch him now?"

April softly smiled at her roommate. "Calm, deep breaths. You'll survive," she whispered back. Her best friend carried some anger issues rooted from her failed relationships and the last thing she wanted was for Jo to create a scene because she couldn't control her emotions. She handed her menu to the waiter after they finished ordering their dinners. "Umm… where are you two originally from?"

"I'm from Boston and Karev's from Des Moines," Jackson answered. "What about you two?"

"I'm from Columbus and Jo is homegrown, just outside of Denver."

"Hmm… Columbus? What brought you all the way out here to Colorado for college?" he curiously asked.

"Scholarship and the opportunity to live independently away from home," she chirped. "I'm assuming you have the same reasons coming from Boston, which is much farther away than Ohio."

Alex proudly pointed at his hooded sweatshirt. "Well, the Pac-12 is one of the best football conferences in the nation. Plus, Avery and I are bringing Colorado back to its winning ways. Next season, you'll definitely see us representing the Pac-12 in the Rose Bowl," he arrogantly stated. "As long as Avery doesn't declare for the NFL draft, we'll be a top ten team for sure."

Jo tapped her fingers against the table. "Shane might have had potential to be a third rounder if you hadn't broken his clavicle," she insinuated, staring down at her nails.

"Dude, it's not like I purposely aimed to injure your guy," he argued. "It's football. Shit happens. Your team wasn't gonna win anyway."

"Please, we were up by two touchdowns before you hurt him," she countered. "You guys underestimated us and we probably would have routed you if things continued to go our way."

"The best offense is a good defense and your team's sucked," Alex responded with a chuckle. "You can't blame me for your crappy defense. Nobody could cover Avery. No wonder he scored four touchdowns."

Jo smirked at him. "Like how your so-called great defense allowed UCLA to score 42 points on you?" she sneered, drawing a scowl from Alex. "Yeah, I watched that game. You and your teammates in the secondary looked like sloths trailing behind on their receivers."

While the twosome bickered back and forth, April leaned forward against the table and grimaced at Jackson. "I don't know much about football, so this argument means nothing to me," she sheepishly confessed.

"That's fine with me. My life revolves around football all the time that I don't mind talking about something else," he insisted before he mischievously grinned at her. "So how fast can you solve a Rubik's Cube?"

Dinner ran fairly smoothly – for Jackson and April anyway. Jo and Alex kept to themselves while they stuffed their mouths with food, but their other halves carried on a conversation that they both listened to. Jo sensed that Jackson was a good match for her roommate. Alex simply thought his teammate would be getting laid soon based on the way April laughed at his corny jokes. Now if only he could get as lucky with his counterpart, but every time he looked at her she gripped her steak knife tightly in her hand.

After they finished eating, Alex wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his hooded sweatshirt and stood up. "I gotta take a leak."

Jo waited until he disappeared into the men's restroom before she slid out of their booth. "This is my chance to bail. No offense, Jackson. You're a nice guy and all, but your friend is… well, I'll keep that to myself. Thank you for dinner," she hurriedly said as she wore her jacket. She looked at April, pointing her finger at her. "Don't give him our room number."

April nervously laughed as she watched Jo literally run out of the restaurant. "She's… she's having trust issues after what happened with her last boyfriend," she explained. "And she's not exactly ready to date anybody right now."

"What about you? Are you looking to date?" the pretty boy inquired.

"Umm… yes. I mean, I haven't had a boyfriend in a while, but I also haven't been desperate for one," she shyly responded. "I- I've had boyfriends. They just weren't the one for me or more like I wasn't the one for them."

Jackson half-smiled at her. "I've been there. Sometimes it takes a while to find your perfect match."

Alex returned from the restroom, scratching the back of his head when he noticed Jo was missing. "Dude, where'd your friend go?" he asked confused.

"She wanted to go to bed early," April lied. "But she said thanks for dinner."

"I'm not even the one paying," he chuckled, slapping his hand against Jackson's shoulder. "Hmm… maybe I can still catch up with her. She doesn't carry pepper spray with her, does she?"

"No, but I'd stay far away from her fists," she warned.

Jackson shook his head when Alex rushed towards the exit. "He's a bit of a horndog, sorry."

"And what are you?"

"I'm a… gentle puppy," he claimed, flashing his charming grin at her and making her laugh. Jackson quickly took notice of the single dimple on her face that appeared whenever she laughed or smiled. "Do you want to split a dessert?"

April lightly patted her stomach, slightly grimacing. "It's tempting, but I'm pretty full."

"Maybe next time then."

He waved over their waiter, so he could pay the bill. They left the steakhouse together and started walking back to their hotel. Along the way, they discussed more topics about themselves – growing up in their hometowns, their families, their majors in college. April was impressed to learn that Jackson was a premed student. He wanted to secure a back up if football didn't work out for him at the professional level. She aimed for a PhD in psychology, so they both were interested in becoming doctors of some sort.

Most of the time, Jackson was infatuated with April's face while she spoke to him. He constantly stared at her lips wondering how soft they were. A confident guy, he hooked his left arm around her waist and planted a firm kiss against her lips. She was taken aback with her eyes wide open, but she gradually relaxed against him and returned the kiss.

He slightly pulled away and softly laughed. "I'm sorry. I've been wanting to kiss you since we first met. That probably sounds incredibly creepy, but I couldn't help myself."

"I'll admit I've never been kissed by a guy after an unofficial first date, especially one I still don't know very well," April replied. Her cheeks had changed into a bright shade of red, likely from a mix of the cold hitting her face and blushing from the touch of Jackson's lips. "But it was nice."

"Hang out with me tomorrow," Jackson requested, slipping his hands inside of his large jacket pockets. "I don't want you to ditch Jo since I know you're here together, but if you can find the time, maybe we can do something together. Well, if you want to."

"I promised her I'd go snowboarding with her tomorrow, but I'm sure we won't be on the slopes all day."

They quietly stood across from each other, both unsure of what to say next. April could barely make eye contact with Jackson, especially with the way he continued to smile at her. "Okay, well if you change your mind, I'll wait for you in the main lobby," he reminded her. "Can I walk you back to your room?"

She quickly nodded, smiling as she bit her bottom lip. "I'd like that."

Jackson grinned to himself when April walked a few steps ahead of him. He caught up with her as they strolled through the resort side by side. Kissing her spontaneously and not receiving a slap for it?

He was looking forward to knowing more about her.

* * *

The following day, Jo and April were dressed for a full day of snowboarding. They had rented their snowboards the day before and were ready to test out the slopes. Because the redhead was a beginner, her roommate wanted her to try one of the easier hills before forcing her to join her at one of the expert trails. Bringing April to the expert slope eventually was Jo's way of punishing her for making her sit through dinner with Alex.

"You won't ditch me or pretend you don't know me if I'm flat out terrible, right?" April asked concerned as the two women stood outside by one of the lifts. "You wouldn't be that harsh."

Jo tossed her head back and laughed. "God, April. I'm your best friend not some person who's being paid to hang out with you," she scoffed. The sound of a man whistling behind them caused her to look back. She groaned loudly when she found Alex standing a couple of feet away with his own snowboard. After dodging him for the rest of the night, she hoped she would never see his face again. "What do _you_ want?"

Wearing a red beanie and snowboarding goggles over his eyes, Alex smugly grinned as he nodded his head towards his snowboard. "Thought I'd join you ladies since my wingman is unavailable." He eyed the sign located beside the lift. "You know this is a bunny slope, yeah?"

"April is just learning how to snowboard. It would be rude of me to lead her to her death by going up to one of the harder slopes first," Jo irritably answered. "And no, you can't join us. Go away."

"C'mon, it's more fun going as a group," he pleaded. "Besides, your disappearing act last night was a douche move."

The brunette smirked at him. "Let's not get started on who the douchey one is."

April tapped her fingers against her snowboard and chewed on her bottom lip. While she never mentioned it to Jo, the idea that Jackson was waiting for her in the main lobby was tempting. She preferred not to leave her alone with Alex, but at least she wouldn't be alone. She sensed her roommate would hate her for what she was about to do. "You know, you two can go ahead. I'll catch up," she casually said. "I have to… get my chapstick in our room. I hate dry lips, especially during this type of weather."

Jo narrowed her eyes when her friend started walking away. She chased after her, yanking her arm and turning her around. "You little liar. You're gonna leave me with that guy, so you can search for Jackson," the volleyball player accusingly stated.

"Maybe I am," she sheepishly replied. "I like him. He's really sweet."

"April Kepner…" Jo slowly shook her head and smiled. "I don't know if I should be offended or proud that you're ditching me for a boy. I mean, he's attractive and totally not disgusting like his friend."

"He kissed me last night," April added.

Jo playfully slapped her friend's shoulder. "And you didn't tell me? I feel like I don't know you anymore," she quipped. "This is the fastest I've ever seen you make progress with a man, but do you really have to ditch me with Alex Karev today?"

Peeking over the brunette's shoulder, April watched Alex attempt to flirt with two women passing by. Whatever he said caused one of them to slap his cheek before they left him alone. "I'm sure you'll be fine," she insisted. "Instead of judging him for what happened yesterday, why don't you try to get along with him? Maybe he's not a bad guy after all."

"And ex-boyfriend who shall not be named was such a sweetheart," she sarcastically said. Glancing back at Alex, she sighed. "Fine, fine. I'll suck it up. It's possible I can find a way to lose him again on the slopes. I should tell you that you owe me, but given everything you've done for me in the past, I won't. At least ease my torture away later by providing some details on how it goes with Jackson."

"I will," April chirped.

The two women parted ways. Jo decided to suck it up and go snowboarding with Alex, while April walked to the main lobby hoping Jackson would actually be there. She carried her board in one arm as she entered the building. To her delight, the pretty boy sat alone on the couch like he said he would be. She was amused to find him playing with a Rubik's Cube as she approached him. He was nowhere near solving the multicolored cube.

"Where'd you get that?" she chuckled.

"Saw it in one of the gift shops this morning. Thought I'd give it a try." Jackson softly groaned in frustration, dropping the toy onto his lap. "And I'm terrible at it."

"It's okay. Doesn't make you a loser. Just somebody who sucks at solving a Rubik's Cube."

He smiled as he pushed himself up from the couch. "So you decided to meet me," the football player said, changing the subject. "And Jo's alright with you skipping out on your original plan?"

"Alex is taking my place as her snowboarding partner," April cheerfully answered. "Not necessarily her first preference, but he'll do. Don't worry about it. She's fine. Your friend isn't a rapist, is he?"

"Karev is a lot of things, but he is no rapist. Trust me," Jackson confirmed and winked at her.

_Be bold_, she thought to herself. April had never really been the one to make the first move. Sometimes she waited too long and no move was ever made. It was time for her to be the proactive person. "Do you want to hang out in my room?" she shyly asked, gently biting on her bottom lip afterwards.

"Hang out like…" He watched her slightly nod. Of course he wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to be alone with April in her hotel room. "Sure."

She tried to hide her excitement as she turned around and led him out of the main lobby. He had taken her to her hotel room once, but their unofficial date ended at the door. No kiss goodnight, only a lazy hand wave before she went inside.

April set her snowboard against the wall when they reached her room. She opened the door, then she grabbed her board before walking inside with Jackson. "So, this is my room. I bet it looks exactly like yours," she awkwardly noted.

"Pretty much except for the feminine hair products in your bathroom," Jackson jokingly replied. Taking the snowboard from her, he set it aside against the wall. He slipped his arms around April's waist and kissed her lips. "Has anybody ever told you that you have really soft lips?"

She smiled against his lips. "Nope."

"Well, you do."

Before he could kiss her again, April gently pushed him away. "Make yourself comfortable on my bed. It's the one closest to the window. I'll meet you there in a minute," she instructed, ducking around Jackson and walking into the bathroom. She pulled out her chapstick from her jacket pocket and quickly dabbed her lips with it. After removing her beanie, she ran her fingers through her hair to rid of the messy hat hair. She quietly took a deep breath before returning to the bedroom.

Jackson lay sprawled out on the bed, propping himself up with his elbows. His basketball shoes were neatly lined up beside the bed. "We're strictly making out, right? I'm completely down with that, by the way," he politely stated. "I just have to be careful with my right arm."

"Yes- yes, that's fine with me. To be honest, I wasn't inviting you into my room for sex," April admitted while she removed her jacket. She hung it against the back of the desk chair, then she looked back at the pretty boy. "Umm… do you want to take your jacket off too?"

"That's probably a good idea. Might get a little hot in here," he teasingly answered and unzipped his jacket.

"And I'm wearing compression pants underneath my snow pants, so don't assume I'm stripping down just to makeout," she replied with a smirk.

Jackson watched her remove her snowboarding boots before taking off her snow pants. The tight, black compression pants revealed a well-rounded ass when she bent over to set her boots against the wall. He immediately nodded in approval, then he pretended he hadn't been staring at her backside when she turned back around. "You have nice legs," he complimented.

April laughed as she climbed onto the bed. "I beg to differ. They're super pale." Straddling Jackson's lap, she draped her arms over his shoulders and he settled his hands against her hips. Their faces were inches apart, but she felt reluctant to throw herself at him. "I'm not hurting you, am I? I don't mean to crush anything below your waist if I am."

"I'm comfortable. Stop worrying," he insisted, firmly pressing his lips against hers.

His left hand reached up to lightly grasp the back of her head, deepening the kiss by sliding his tongue into her mouth. There were plenty of things he wished he could do with _two_ hands, but the large cast covering his forearm and half of his hand prevented him from doing everything he wanted. In the back of his mind, he was somewhat frustrated. Fortunately, April's lips kept him from being completely frustrated with himself.

Moving his hand down to her backside, he gently squeezed her rear end. She softly moaned against his lips in response, then he parted from her mouth and began planting kisses along the side of her neck. His teeth lightly grazed her skin and the touch of his tongue caused her to slightly gasp.

She clutched his cheeks, bringing his face back to hers and devouring his mouth. "Have dinner with me again," Jackson mumbled in between kisses.

"What was that?" she asked after pulling away from him.

He snuck his left hand underneath her shirt and gently stroked her lower back with his fingers. "Would you like to have dinner with me tonight? It's an official date this time."

"What happens if I say no?" the redhead mischievously questioned. She leaned in to kiss him only to move away before their lips could touch. He softly groaned in frustration, making her giggle. "Of course I'll have dinner with you."

"You're one of those innocent teases, aren't you?"

April playfully pushed Jackson onto his back, eliciting a grin from him and surprising herself in the process. She soon realized she enjoyed being in the driver's seat. "Maybe… maybe not," she humorously answered before grasping his cheeks and connecting their lips once again.

* * *

Silence. That summed up the interaction between Jo and Alex since the beginning of their chairlift ride. It was a long and slow trek towards one of the many expert trails on the mountain. The brunette sat closely on one side, while her obnoxious companion was on the opposite side leaving significant space in between them. She had threatened to throw him out of their chairlift if he attempted to place a fingertip on her.

Jo briefly glanced over at Alex, who was twiddling his thumbs against his lap. Physically, he was attractive, but his personality turned her off completely. On campus, she tried her best to avoid his type – the chauvinistic pigs who only viewed women as their personal sex toys. She loathed the men who grabbed her ass as she passed by. Being a volleyball player made it easy for them to do it. Spandex was her frenemy. She considered herself to be a tough cookie, but only one person ever broke her down and made her feel weak. Fortunately, she managed to pull herself out of the situation in hopes of starting over.

But the dude next to her made that almost impossible.

"Checking me out?" Alex smugly asked, smirking at Jo as she looked away.

"In your dreams," she scoffed and huffed as she folded her arms. "You may get a lot of dumb women to fall for your fake charm, but I'm smarter than you think. A pretty face does not make me easy."

"Well, I got the hint after you fled dinner last night. And for the record, playing football doesn't make me a dumb jock," he retorted. "We have something in common, you know."

Jo softly laughed to herself. "And how much are you paying the nerdy person who sits beside you in class to write your papers?" she sneered. "What's your major anyway? Beer pong?"

"Funny," he sarcastically replied. "Actually, I'm a 4.0 student studying Mechanical Engineering. You still think I'm an idiot?"

"How do I know you're not lying?" she skeptically asked. Removing her cell phone from her jacket pocket, Jo used the browser to search for Alex's profile on Colorado's athletics website. Most profiles listed their academic accolades and she was surprised to learn he wasn't bluffing. "Three straight seasons on the honor roll. Fine, you win."

Alex proudly grinned. "Thank you."

"But if you're so smart, why do you act like an idiot?" Jo asked while she slipped her cell phone back into her pocket. "Not all women find guys who play stupid attractive. We just think you're annoying."

"I'm just a guy who does stupid things and I don't realize it's stupid until after I've already done it," he insisted, shrugging his shoulders. "I bet you're not perfect either, Princess."

She groaned loudly. "Oh my God, don't call me that." If anything pissed her off more than perverted men, it was perverted men calling her girly pet names like Princess. Just as she began to slowly warm up to Alex, he had to do _that_. "The last man who called me Princess lost feeling in their balls for an hour."

Alex snickered, then he asked, "So is April your project or whatever?"

"My what?"

"You know, that chick you groom to become hot and then take credit for it later. I'm only asking because it seems you two don't have anything in common except for reproductive parts."

Jo scowled at him. "She's my best friend. We've been roommates since freshman year," she defensively replied. "And it doesn't matter that we're almost complete opposites. April knows me better than anybody else does. I trust her with just about everything. And even though she ditched me for your friend, I'm happy for her. It's not often guys notice her the way Jackson has."

"Is it because you steal the guys she's interested in before they can approach her?" Alex quipped.

"No, you moron. She's just not as confident as I am when it comes to speaking to the opposite sex," the brunette retorted, shooting another glare at him. "I don't treat April like crap if that's what you're thinking. I help her as much as I can because she's always been my support system."

"Okay, okay. I got you. You two have that whole friendship bracelet relationship and stuff," he amusingly answered. "I guess it's a good thing she's not one of those backstabbing weasels who tries to steal your boyfriend."

"Oh, trust me. April never once thought about stealing my most recent ex," Jo firmly stated. "She knew he was trouble, but I was in denial for a while. We almost broke up our friendship because of him."

"Must have been a major douche then," the football player suspected.

She laughed to herself. "He wasn't when I first met him. The guy definitely knew how to work his charm and I ate up every word that came out of his mouth. Normally, I'm pretty good at recognizing the bad seeds, but not this one."

"Who's this dude?"

Jo took a deep breath and sighed. She hated it enough talking to April about her ex-boyfriend, so she felt uncomfortable bringing him up to a person she hardly knew. Then again, it wasn't like Alex would go around town telling everybody about her horrid dating history. Based on her assumptions, he likely had an awful streak as well.

"His name was Matthew," she started, staring down at her glove covered hands. "We met at a party and he was really sweet to me. He was a member of this environmentalist club, so he seemed like harmless person. But a few months into the relationship, he started to become controlling and verbally abusive. He would say anything to make me feel smaller and I let him. Then, he would apologize and my stupid self would forgive him. April despised him, but I accused her of being jealous and it caused this rift between us. This thing with Matthew went on for eight months. I don't know why I let it go on for that long. I don't normally allow people to break me that easily."

Alex slowly nodded, then he half-smiled at her. "Want me to kick his ass?" he offered.

"I don't need to be saved. I managed to break away from that relationship without any violence involved," she answered with a laugh.

"You act like a woman who doesn't take crap from anybody, so why the hell did you let this guy treat you that poorly?" he curiously asked. "Not trying to offend you or anything, but was he great in bed or what?"

Jo couldn't help but laugh. She wondered how often a person like Alex engaged in a deep conversation with the opposite sex. He deserved some credit for trying to understand her, but clearly, he wasn't used to digging this deep into an acquaintance's personal life. "You sure know how to make me feel better about all of this," she jokingly replied. "Like I said, I don't know. Maybe I was afraid of being alone."

"Alone? I bet you're popular. Member of the volleyball team, pretty face and stuff," he insisted.

"A person can have everybody wanting to be your friend and still feel completely alone," she noted. "The only person I fully trust with my life is April. I know she would never stab me in the back. If anything, she's probably my only _true_ friend."

"I suppose I can say the same thing about Avery," Alex concurred. "I probably piss the guy off at least once a day, but he still doesn't mind hanging around me. I think it's because he knows I don't give a crap about his pretty boy face and we don't talk about his rich, snobby family that he secretly despises. We suffered through the same hazing as freshmen when we were pledging for our fraternity. We're practically brothers."

"And now my best friend and your frat brother are off doing who knows what in one of our rooms," Jo amusingly replied. Their chairlift came to a halt, causing them to slightly swing back and forth. She turned around in her seat and noticed that the entire lift had stopped working. "Are we stuck?"

They were about thirty seconds away from reaching the top of the mountain when the circuit of the chairlift stopped abruptly. It was a very high drop from their seat if one of them were to fall out. Alex glanced down at the snowy, white surface below. He swung his legs to rock their bench and the brunette beside him immediately scowled at him. "What? I bet these things are sturdy as hell," he claimed.

Jo cringed when she heard a squeaking sound above them. "Seriously, stop that! You're probably loosening a screw!" She reached over, grabbing Alex by his jacket after he ignored her demands. "If you don't stop swinging your legs, I will throw you out of this chair!"

He smirked as he steadied his legs. "You're even cuter when you're angry."

She groaned in frustration, pushing him away from her and folding her arms. "Just when I was starting to warm up to you…"

"And until they get this thing working again, we can get to know each other for even longer," Alex boasted, stretching his arm across the back of the bench and resting it behind Jo. He quickly retracted his arm when she shot him another scowl. "Gonna tell me your full first name yet?"

"Never."

"Can I buy a vowel and guess?"

"Shut up, please."

Alex rolled his eyes as he stared straight ahead. It only took him ten seconds of silence before he began whistling a tune, to Jo's dismay. He smiled knowing she would crack sooner or later. And he was fully aware that she didn't have the guts to physically throw him out of their chairlift. "You know, things would be a lot easier for the both of us if you just cooperated. Want me to start singing? I know the lyrics to every Eminem song out there."

Just as he cleared his throat, she covered his mouth with her hand. "Josephine! My name is Josephine!"

"Huh, Josephine… my grandma had a cat named Josephine," the football player recalled. "Can I call you Kitty?"

Jo buried her face into her hands, shaking her head. She hoped the chairlift would be fixed soon because she was tempted to risk her precious legs by jumping out and possibly breaking both of them upon landing. At this point, anything seemed better than being stuck with Alex in a tight space with very limited escape options.

* * *

**Part two will come soon! And just because one pairing is doing well and the other isn't, it doesn't mean it'll stay that way ;)**


	2. It's Never Quite As Easily Done

**Thank you for the wonderful reviews, guys! I wasn't sure what to expect with this story. This chapter got a little longer than I planned, but since it's the last one I hope you enjoy it. Please let me know what you think afterward :) Thanks for reading!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Jo impatiently checked the time on her cell phone for the fifth time. A half an hour had passed and the chairlift _still _wasn't fixed. Her rear end felt like it was glued to her seat and to make matters worse, Alex occasionally coughed up a loogie and spit it out into the open air, which made her quietly gag. Freezing to death wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if he wasn't sitting beside her.

"My phone is either broken or these so-called mechanics down there don't have a clue what they're doing," she complained, shoving her cell phone back into her jacket pocket. "I just wanted to snowboard! Is that too much to ask?"

"Calm your tits. The lifts don't close for another five hours," Alex irritably replied. He folded his arms and sighed. "Are you always this whiney?"

"Are you always this annoying?" Jo countered, rolling her eyes. She reached into her pocket again. "Maybe I should call April and let her know that I'm not dead if we're stuck here for another two hours."

Alex snickered, shaking his head. "I doubt she'll answer. I mean, hooking up with a guy like Avery? If I was a chick, I wouldn't take a break and answer my phone," he stated, drawing a confused look from the brunette. "What? I said _if I was a chick_."

"Sure, okay. And I bet you're the first guy in the locker room who spanks his bare ass after a game," she quipped.

"Dude, I'm not gay," he answered, shooting a glare at her.

"Dude, I'm not a dude," she rebuked. Jo groaned as she dialed April's number. "Whatever. If I tell her we're stuck, she'll likely panic and send the fire department to come get me. That might work faster than those idiots working like sloths to fix the lift."

Alex reached for Jo's cell phone and she moved her arm away. "You don't need to call your freaking best friend for this. It's not a life threatening situation. Just let her get laid in peace or whatever." He attempted to swipe the phone from her, slapping it out of her hand. They both watched it plunge down into the snow, then he glanced back at his snowboarding partner whose mouth was wide open in shock. "Whoops."

Her shocked expression quickly changed into a scowl. "You asshole! How am I supposed to get my phone now?" She angrily pointed at the snowy surface. "That's a restricted area! You're buying me a new phone."

"Whatever. I can find it later," he nonchalantly stated.

"Give me your phone," she demanded, extending her hand out to him.

"No way."

"Give it to me, _please_," Jo said through gritted teeth. She forced herself to smile. "I just want to call the resort and ask them if they could retrieve my phone for me. Okay?"

Alex inhaled sharply, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his cell phone. He handed it to Jo, who threw it away, and they watched it land in the snow. "Are you crazy?!"

"There. Now we're even," she answered, appearing satisfied.

They spent another twenty minutes quietly sitting around until the chairlift finally started moving again. Having been stuck in the same position for almost an hour, both of them were eager to get back onto their feet and get the blood rushing again. And Jo desperately wanted to ditch Alex as soon as possible.

When they reached the end of the lift Alex stretched his arms over his head. "So, do you want to race or-" Before he could finish his sentence, Jo bolted out of her seat and didn't waste any time leaving him behind on her snowboard. "Okay, I'll meet you down there!"

Zipping down the mountain, the volleyball player inhaled the fresh air as she sped through it and smiled. Her knees were slightly sore from sitting in the same position for a long duration, but just being able to finally snowboard was a relief. She felt a little rusty, nearly colliding with another snowboarder, though she eventually regained her balance. After she reached the bottom, she slowed down and scanned her surroundings. No Alex in sight. Suddenly, a snowball hit her right cheek causing her to gasp.

Thinking it was Alex, she spun around and was hit by another snowball – from a young boy, who laughed at her. "Hey!" she yelled. The boy, probably not older than twelve, nailed her in the chest with a snowball. "You little turd, what the hell is your problem?"

Just as the boy was about to throw another snowball, a hand grabbed his arm. "Dude, you want me to give you a massive wedgie?" Alex sternly said. He picked up the boy by his jacket and carried him towards Jo. "Apologize to the lady."

"Oh, geez," Jo mumbled. "Don't tell me he's your obnoxious little brother because I can't handle another Karev."

"No, I don't know this twerp," he scoffed, dropping the boy onto his feet. The football player nudged him from behind and nodded towards Jo. "Apologize."

"Sorry… that I'm not sorry!" the boy mischievously said, running away before Alex could grab a hold of him.

"Wow, you sure set him straight," Jo sarcastically noted. She picked up her snowboard and walked past him. "My hero."

Alex huffed as he followed Jo, trailing a foot behind her. "The least you could is thank me. Unless, you're turned on by little douchebags throwing snowballs at you," he quipped. "I know of some women with strange fetishes."

Her fingers gripped her snowboard tightly, fighting the urge to knock him out with it. She channeled April's advice and her breathing exercises – calm, deep breaths. While the football player continued to babble behind her, she ignored him and tried to find her peaceful place… which lasted for ten seconds.

"Please, just SHUT UP!" Jo screeched, drawing stares from vacationers nearby. She couldn't care less about the mothers dragging their young children away from them or the teenage boys laughing at her outburst. Stepping in front of Alex, she stood inches away from his face as he smugly grinned at her. "If you're going to keep stalking me, don't speak. In fact, just go away. You're making me have violent thoughts about you."

"That's sex-"

"Don't even say it," she interrupted, turning back around and stomping away from Alex. "I'm going back to the lodge. Maybe somebody there can help me find my cell phone."

"You mean, this phone?" Alex boasted, pulling out Jo's cell phone from his jacket pocket. She glanced back at him, raising her eyebrow when she realized he wasn't lying. "I told you I could find it. I almost got busted by some dork on a snowmobile, but I found both of our phones."

Jo bit the inside of her cheek knowing she had to thank him. His douche level dropped just a little bit. "Fine. Thank you," she sighed, taking her cell phone from Alex. It was still working, to her relief. She pointed her finger at him. "You can stick around as long as you keep your mouth shut."

He snickered as he followed her to a different lift station. Somewhere deep inside, Alex suspected that Jo had a thing for him. She just didn't know it yet.

* * *

Sitting across from each other at a barbeque restaurant in the resort, both April and Jackson awkwardly scanned their surroundings. The majority of the guests were decked out in their flannel shirts, cowboy boots and oversized belt buckles. Apparently, it was Hoedown Night and they had missed the memo – not that the pretty boy had ever been to one.

He glanced down at his own attire – black polo shirt, dark blue jeans and black and red Air Jordan's. Because it was an official date this time, Jackson wanted to look cleaner for April. She had done the same wearing an emerald green blouse and black jeans, even slightly curling her hair for their date. Compared to the rest of the vacationers in the restaurant, they both felt like outsiders. Even the waiters were dressed for Hoedown Night.

"I wasn't aware that tonight was a themed night. If I had known, I would have packed my cowboy boots and picked you up from your room on my stallion," Jackson jokingly said, drawing a giggle from April. "This is definitely not my scene."

"It's not so bad. I mean, I guess not for me because growing up on a farm included attending hoedowns," the redhead nonchalantly replied. "And before you stereotype me, let me just say that we didn't have hoedowns every weekend. The last time I went to one, I was twelve. It's been a while since I've attended one of these."

"So, what was your last relationship like if you don't mind me asking?" he inquired.

April softly laughed and sighed. "It was great actually. He was a really good guy."

"But…" Jackson smirked. "There's a but at the end of that sentence. I can tell by the way you're biting your lip."

"He was older, a PhD student at Colorado State. Umm, he was about eight years older than me, which isn't creepy, right? I mean, I've had much older guys hit on me in the past and I have no idea why," she continued and chuckled. "Anyway, Owen graduated and he found a job in Seattle, so he broke up with me. Since then, I've had a string of bad luck when it comes to dating guys. They want everything to happen so fast and I'm a girl who normally likes to take it slow, so I took a break from dating anybody. Maybe that's why I really enjoyed spending time with my ex. He was more mature and didn't date me just for sex. Do you find that creepy?"

"That older men are attracted to you? No, you should be flattered that you're jailbait," he quipped. April blankly stared at him and he cleared his throat, forcing a smile. "I can do a magic trick. Want to see?"

April quickly shrugged and grinned. "Sure."

Jackson furrowed his brow as he reached across the table. "Hold on a second. I think there's something in your hair," he stated, his left hand close to her ear. A second later, he retracted his arm and a quarter was in between his middle and ring fingers. "Do you keep all your loose change in your hair?"

She squealed delightfully and applauded. "That was awesome! I've always wanted to know how to do that. Please tell me."

"A good magician doesn't reveal his secrets," he mischievously answered.

"Oh, fine," she playfully groaned. "What else can you do?"

The football player sheepishly grinned while he stuffed the quarter inside of his pocket. "Actually, that's the only trick I know how to do," he admitted, eliciting another laugh from April. "You can solve a Rubik's Cube easily and I can perform one little magic trick. That makes us even in the hidden talent department, right?"

April nodded, then she turned her attention towards the center of the room. A wooden dance floor had been set up in the middle and one of the waiters was inviting all of the diners for a round of line dancing. As people started to gather in the center, she tugged on Jackson's wrist. "Let's do it! It'll be fun while we wait for our food to arrive."

Jackson grimaced. He could do many things in public, but dancing wasn't one of them. Occasionally, he busted out the chicken dance in front of his fraternity brothers when he was drunk, but actual dancing? Not his thing. Slow dancing was the only exception. And he had never done line dancing ever.

He cringed when "Achy Breaky Heart" started blasting from the speakers. It was the song played at every wedding, every anniversary party, _everywhere_. It didn't matter what the occasion was, it was the party anthem that everyone somehow got coaxed into dancing to. So while his drunk mother stumbled her way through the number at one of their relatives' wedding, he was hiding by the desserts and stuffing his face with cake. He preferred being a bystander than engaging in a dance that gave him second hand embarrassment.

"Uhh… you go ahead. I'll sit this one out," he insisted.

"You hit me in the face with a door," she reminded him, arching an eyebrow as she stood up from her seat.

Jackson laughed. "I thought dinner last night made up for that."

April shook her head and smiled. "Not in my book," she countered, forcefully pulling him up from his seat. She dragged him towards the dance floor, despite his protests. "Trying something new won't hurt. Besides, you can't be the worst dancer in the world."

"I beg to differ," he muttered. "We- we don't have to go smack dab in the middle, do we? I think the farthest corner away from civilization is best."

She simply laughed off his request as they joined other diners in the center of the dance floor. "Just follow my lead. It's really not that difficult, Jackson. Watch my feet."

Standing awkwardly beside April, he slipped his left hand inside of his pocket and scrunched his face. Jackson heard people around them encouraging him to dance and he started copying what his date was doing. He stumbled when he tripped over his own foot making him feel even more embarrassed. "Shit, I'm terrible."

"That's because you're not actually trying!" April chided. She removed his hand from his pocket and clutched it tightly. "You're too self-conscious about people staring at you. They'll only stare if you want them to stare. Stop worrying about what they might think and dance."

Jackson smirked as April tried to teach him the steps again. He looked down at their interlocked fingers. She was definitely not going to let him sit down until he successfully danced with her, he thought. "Your grip is a little tight," he noted.

"It's so you can't run away," the redhead innocently replied. "Now, watch my feet again."

This time the pretty boy made a better effort in line dancing with the rest of the group. While he continued to feel uncomfortable, at least he managed to avoid tripping over his feet again. And at least it wasn't the Macarena.

Meanwhile, Alex and Jo entered the restaurant, their starving stomachs growling at them to be fed. They stopped by the hostess' podium in time to see the line dancing party in the middle of the room. Seeing Jackson struggle to keep up was an amusing sight to see for his teammate, but it still wasn't enough to convince him to stay.

"Screw this," he scoffed, turning to leave.

"Yeah, let's go," Jo concurred, rushing out of the restaurant. "I told you we were better off buying dinner at that corndog stand at the mall. We just wasted like five minutes walking across the resort for nothing."

"Well, how was I supposed to know it was Yippee-Yo-Ki-Yay night?" he retorted. "I just wanted some freaking barbeque for dinner, but I'm not gonna line dance for it. And you said I could choose where we could eat after I played the quiet game for you. You can't take that back."

She pinched the bridge of her nose and softly groaned. "Yes, you're right. Dammit."

"But you know, corndogs sound pretty awesome to me now," Alex decided and began walking back towards the direction they came from.

They returned to the mall and bought themselves a cheap dinner of corndogs and soda. Sitting beside each other on a bench, they quietly ate their food after a long day of snowboarding. At least when they were out on the slopes, neither of them really had to interact with each other. Jo didn't for the most part. However, sitting together on a bench in complete silence made everything awkward between them.

"So, Avery and Kepner are hitting it off pretty well," he started, though he truthfully didn't care about Jackson's hook ups and relationships. He wanted to bring up a topic that he thought Jo would be interested in without the snide remarks.

"He's not some playboy I have to warn April about, right?" she inquisitively asked. "Because she deserves respect and I refuse to see her get hurt by some guy who is faking his charm only to get into her pants."

"Nah, Avery is one of those guys that everybody likes because he's got charisma or whatever. He's the pretty boy. In the frat house, that's his nickname. All the chicks are mesmerized by his eyes, but he doesn't sleep with just anyone, you know? He's not a major fuck up like I am."

Jo smiled to herself. "Well, it sounds like he and April are a match made in heaven. Between the two of us, she's the innocent one. It's not that she's afraid to take risks, but she's also smart enough not to put herself in a stupid situation, which tends to be my biggest flaw," she explained. "I fall for the dumbest men."

Alex sat up straight and cleared his throat. "Dean's List three years and-"

"Yes, I know," she replied with a smirk. "No need to flatter yourself. That doesn't necessarily excuse your frat boy act."

"Well, we all can't be like Avery, can we?" he sneered.

"If it makes you feel any better, he's not my type," Jo admitted, then she laughed. "Even his pretty boy eyes don't fascinate me. I mean, he seems like a cool person, but the whole clean look just reminds me of my ex-boyfriend. I doubt Jackson is anything like Matthew, though."

"Would I be able to kick this guy's ass?"

She playfully rolled her eyes. "Honestly? Considering you can break a person's clavicle by accident, I think you can take him."

He fist pumped making her chuckle. "That's all I ask."

"You're kind of a dork," the brunette teasingly said, then she stood up. "Although, you're still a more likable person when you're _not_ speaking. Maybe tomorrow we can race on our snowboards."

Alex laughed to himself as he threw his trash away. Jo was playing mind games with him. He couldn't tell which side of her would come out whenever he spoke – the annoyed side or the side that didn't mind his company. Regardless, she was making him work for everything and he was determined to succeed.

* * *

Alex paced back and forth in front of Jo and April's hotel room debating whether or not to knock on the door. He had gotten up earlier than he normally did on a daily basis just to pay them a visit, but now he was getting cold feet. Hanging out with Jo was like playing hot potato. Sometimes they got along, but when he said one minor thing that offended her it was game over and he was back at square one. The fact that she hadn't told him to leave her alone after snowboarding was a good sign, he thought.

Unlike most of the women he had encountered prior to meeting her, the brunette actually slightly intimidated him. Not because she _looked_ intimidating, but rather she was forcing him to work hard to impress her. His pickup lines weren't going to work on her. She wasn't gullible like his previous hook ups.

He took a deep breath before gently knocking on the door. Stuffing his hands inside of his jacket pockets, he half-smiled at April, who had opened the door. "Oh. Hey, April."

"Hi, Alex," she greeted him, suspiciously raising an eyebrow at him. "What are you doing here? You know it's barely past seven, right?"

"I'm aware. What are you doing up?"

"Early riser. I grew up on a farm. Anyway, Jo's still asleep."

"That's cool. I'm actually here to see you."

April peeked her head outside. There were some other vacationers walking around with their snowboarding gear, but no Jackson in sight. She stepped out of her room and partially closed the door. "Umm, why?" she asked, folding her arms as the chilly air hit her body. "You're not trying to hit on me, are you? I'm not promiscuous."

"Dude," Alex chuckled. "You and Avery already do it?"

"No, we didn't _do it_," she retorted, imitating his voice during the last two words. "Why are you here?"

He quickly shrugged his shoulders. "I just… want some advice from the only person who knows Jo best. We sort of hit it off yesterday and uhh, I thought maybe I could take her out on a date or whatever. You think she'd want to go out with me?"

"Well, she wasn't complaining about you last night, so that tells me you're not lying about you two getting along," April noted, then she sighed. "I suppose so. As long as you're not too demanding or obnoxious when you ask her. And if she says no, don't push her buttons. She will likely give you a black eye."

"Is violence always her freaking answer to everything?" the football player jokingly asked.

"She still has a lot of leftover rage from her last relationship," she muttered.

Alex scoffed. "That Matthew guy? I could take him. Jo said so herself."

"Uh huh," April half-heartedly replied. She chewed on her bottom lip and decided to change the subject. "Does Jackson talk about me to you? Like, is he sincerely interested in me?"

"Oh, great. Girl talk," he groaned, scratching the back of his neck and grimacing. "Uhh… even though you made him take part in that line dancing crap, he seems obsessed with you. Not in a creepy stalker way or anything. All that dude did last night was talk about you when he got back to our room. I had to throw a pillow at him to shut him up."

Her face suddenly beamed. Even though she barely knew Alex, he was a blunt guy. She knew he wouldn't lie to her. "Did he… did he mention anything to you about any plans he had in mind? I thought maybe I could snowboard with Jo today-"

"No!" he panicked, raising his hands in front of his chest. Alex sheepishly grinned, while April scrunched her nose at him in confusion. "I uhh, I heard Avery tell me from the bathroom last night that he wants to visit downtown Aspen with you. Think of it as a really long date."

April slowly nodded in approval. She did want to explore downtown Aspen prior to the end of their vacation. "Umm… do you know what time he plans on picking me up?"

"I don't know, Kepner. Call his freaking cell."

"He never gave me his number."

Alex threw his arms up in frustration. "What the hell, you guys? You don't screw, you two don't exchange numbers – you two suck at this hooking up thing," he chided, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket. He opened his contacts and found Jackson's number. "Here, memorize this and then we'll pretend this never happened."

"You are so sweet. No wonder Jo loves being around you," April sarcastically replied. She pushed open the door of her room and stepped inside. "Anyway, thank you. I'll tell Jo to meet you in the lobby when she wakes up."

Alex pursed his lips after the redhead quickly shut the door before he could respond. After he returned to his own room, his best friend was just waking up. "Why are you already awake?"

"I should ask you the same thing," Jackson groggily responded while he rubbed his eyes. He sat up on his bed, squinting his eyes at his teammate, who took a seat on the opposite bed. "Where'd you go?"

"To Jo and April's room. We had a threesome," he mischievously answered.

"Right," the pretty boy mumbled. "Seriously, why'd you get up so early just to visit their room?"

Alex lay sprawled out on his bed, his arms tucked beneath his head. "Oh, I wanted some inside information from April about Jo. Also, I told her you were taking her to downtown Aspen for the day, so your date's all set thanks to me," he informed him. "She thought about going snowboarding, but I need to step up my game with Jo."

Jackson smiled as he climbed out of bed. "Fine by me. Why are you so desperate to hook up with Jo?" he curiously asked on his way to the bathroom. "Normally, you just move on to the next woman you meet after the last one rejects you. What's different about her?"

He quickly shrugged. "I don't know. I have a feeling she's somebody who gets me or whatever. She still hasn't completely warmed up to me, so that's why I need to be alone with her some more. Now I got a question for you, Avery. Why haven't you sealed the deal with April? I thought you two would've done it by now."

Peeking his head out with a toothbrush in his mouth, Jackson furrowed his brow at Alex. "The timing hasn't been perfect," he said with a mouthful of toothpaste. "And I have to ensure that you're occupied. I don't want you bursting in on us in the middle of sex."

"Dude, just put out the 'Do Not Disturb' sign tonight and I'll know not to come in. Well, only if Jo doesn't threaten to kill me and ruin my day," he declared. "April like freaking asked me if you're seriously into her. It's like she thinks you're using her for sex and then you'll hang her up to dry."

"I don't think that," Jackson disagreed. "She's pretty amazing."

Alex guffawed. "More amazing than that Lexie chick you have stashed at home in Boston?"

Back at home, Jackson had a former girlfriend named Lexie Grey. They dated all through high school and broke up when the former left for Colorado. However, they had made a pact declaring that they would marry each other if they were both single by the time they were thirty years old. So far, it wouldn't be happening if she remained in a steady relationship with her Harvard law student boyfriend for the next eight years. They were good friends, but it was too early to tell if that promise between them would actually happen.

Jackson stepped out of the bathroom after he finished using it. "Maybe so. I want more time with April, you know?" He gestured his hand towards Alex. "And you. If you want to impress Jo, stop acting like a dick. Smile more too. You'll probably scare her off with that scowl of yours."

"Smile? Like this?" His teammate flashed the cheesiest and fakest smile, showing off his teeth.

"Uhh, sure," he reluctantly answered. "That'll work… I think."

"And by the way, I gave April your number. You guys are obsessed with sucking each other's faces that you both failed to even do the first step in hooking up," Alex scoffed. "Amateurs. I feel like I'm doing all the dirty work for you two."

"That's why you're dependable half the time," Jackson acknowledged, winking at his friend. He gathered some clothes from his suitcase and began to change into them. Another full day with April? He was loving his broken wrist more and more.

* * *

For most of the day, Jackson and April spent time walking around downtown Aspen checking out shops and searching for decent restaurants to dine in. The redhead found an ice skating rink and forced him to join her. He was very reluctant about it, claiming he hadn't gone ice skating since he was a child. But just like the line dancing incident, she managed to convince him to go through with it. She was amused by how tightly he held her hand like he was deathly afraid of falling down. He eventually felt more comfortable – as long as they were close to the railing.

While they played tourist in the area, they shared more information about themselves. They visited an art museum and later watched a jazz band perform at the park. They dined at a cozy Italian restaurant for dinner before riding a shuttle back to the Snowmass Village. It was a day-long date they both thoroughly enjoyed.

During the ride back to their resort, Jackson casually stared out the window until April rested her head against his shoulder. He smiled down at her as he wrapped an arm around her. In the few days they knew each other, he was already falling hard for her and he hoped the feeling was mutual.

On their way to his hotel room, he stopped in front of the door and nervously laughed. "Umm… today was better. No line dancing."

She chuckled and playfully nudged his side with her elbow. "I had fun today, though."

"Me too," he concurred, leaning in to kiss her. Jackson blindly reached for his keycard in his back pocket. "Karev's leaving us the room for tonight…"

"Oh, yeah? I umm… I don't usually move this fast with a guy, but… I will make an exception," April murmured in between kisses. "Where's Alex going to sleep then? Please don't say my bed."

Jackson snickered as he opened the door. "Beats me. He can take care of himself," he insisted, pulling her into his hotel room and shutting the door.

Standing ten feet away from their room, Alex cursed at himself as he watched the couple makeout and stumble into the room. He hoped he could take a shower and change after hanging out with Jo on the slopes until they closed all of the lifts for the day, but his roommate and his female companion beat him to the room. She had gone to her own room to do the same and he promised he would meet her there, so they could get something to eat afterward.

And unsurprisingly, he watched the door slightly open and Jackson's arm pop out to hang the 'Do Not Disturb' sign. Alex softly groaned in frustration and walked to the women's hotel room. He knocked on the door, impatiently waiting for an answer. Jo was likely in the shower, so he knocked harder to try to get her attention.

A minute later, the door partially opened and the volleyball player was slightly caught off-guard to see him. "Done already? You're still wearing the same clothes."

"Avery is busy screwing April, so I can't go in there," Alex grumbled. "Can I come in?"

"Umm… sure," Jo hesitantly answered, opening the door wider for him. She donned a white towel around her body and her hair was dripping wet. After she closed the door, she rushed back into the bathroom. "Make yourself comfortable on the bed closest to the door. And don't touch anything!"

Alex smirked as he passed by the bathroom. Seeing Jo in a towel was a lovely surprise for him. She was always covered in winter clothes, so the towel look drew a smile on his face. He set his snowboard against the wall and plopped down onto her bed. His initial plan was to take her out to one of the restaurants in the resort as a date, but without being able to freshen up, he doubted she would want to be around him when he reeked of sweat.

He lay back and stared at the ceiling, recalling their day in his mind. They had taken on every expert course they could face and competed to see who would reach the bottom first. It had gone back and forth, one winning over the other and then the reverse. On their last hill, they agreed that the loser would buy dinner for the winner.

In order to make it feel like a date, Alex purposely let Jo win.

Minutes later, her voice filled the room as she left the bathroom wearing a new set of clothes and a towel around her head. "I was thinking we could just do room service. My legs are sore and I'm kind of tired," she suggested. "Is that okay?"

"Yeah, I guess," he replied, trying to hide his disappointment. "But I'm supposed to pay for dinner 'cause I lost."

Jo dismissively waved her hand as she skimmed the room service menu. "You can make it up to me tomorrow. No biggie," she nonchalantly answered. "Burgers and beer good?"

Alex sighed as he removed his jacket. "That's cool."

A whole day without any real bickering, no snappy reactions from Jo and they managed to get along. Yet somehow, it felt like strike two for him. He wasn't sure what else he could do to earn points from her anymore.

* * *

The following morning, Jackson woke up from his sleep feeling quite satisfied after the night he had with April. Plus, he was grateful that Karev listened to him and didn't barge in like he normally did back at their fraternity house. Then again, his roommate had his own plans with Jo. Otherwise, he most definitely would have ruined their night by walking in during sex.

He smiled as he turned his head to make sure she was still beside him. April remained asleep flat on her stomach. Her auburn hair covered most of her face and he quietly chuckled as she lightly snored. He gently brushed aside her hair, so he could see her face. He hadn't minded that she was in control for the most part. Sometimes he preferred letting the woman be on top. As much as he hated that he only had one reliable arm, his other half made up for it. The redhead he had brought back to his hotel room knew _exactly_ what she was doing.

Prior to arriving in Aspen, Jackson had hoped to score with at least one woman without any emotional attachment. However, meeting April changed his initial plan. He wanted a relationship with her. She was the type of woman he knew he could trust and they would only be an hour away from each other by car. They could make it work, he thought.

The pretty boy carefully slid out of bed and walked to the bathroom to take a shower. In his mind, he was already making plans for their next night. He had never been so infatuated with a woman like he was with April. While he didn't have a long list of past girlfriends, there were plenty enough to compare her to – and none of them matched up to her. She was different in a very good way.

Meanwhile in the bedroom, April stirred in her asleep. Her arm reached for Jackson, but her hand landed on the mattress. She opened one eye to find nobody beside her, though the sound of the shower assured her that he hadn't bailed. Reaching for her cell phone on the bedside table, she checked for any missed calls or messages from Jo. Nothing from her best friend, which meant she hadn't murdered Alex last night.

She gathered her clothes from the floor and started to dress herself. It was rare waking up in the guy's bedroom. In the past times she had sex, it always happened in her room. Sleeping with Jackson felt different from her few ex-boyfriends. He made her feel comfortable and he clearly wasn't bored with her after three days of getting to know each other. She normally didn't jump into bed with a man so soon. They weren't even actively dating. April typically waited until she was dating somebody for a couple of months before even thinking about sex. For the majority of her romantic life, she only reached that level a few times.

The shower turned off and April patiently sat on the edge of the bed. Jackson eventually appeared wearing a towel around his waist. His muscular and athletically toned body continued to make her blush. He laughed after she caught herself staring and immediately looked away.

"Good morning," he happily greeted her as she jumped up onto her feet. "Leaving already?"

"I uhh, want to take a shower in my room and make sure Jo's still alive somewhere," she sheepishly answered, her eyes staring down at the floor.

Jackson raised his eyebrow at April. "Are you okay? Was last night a mistake or…"

She quickly shook her head. "No, no! It's not that. I just… have a hard time looking at you right now when all you're wearing is that towel. I mean, I've seen you without anything in dim lighting. Well, now that I'm seeing you with better lighting I'm- I'm a little overwhelmed."

He smirked as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I was hoping you wouldn't have woken up before I finished in the bathroom. I wanted to wake you up myself – the Jackson way."

"What's the Jackson way?" she curiously asked.

"How about I keep that a secret and wait for the next night we have together?" Jackson mischievously stated, tilting April's chin up with his thumb and pressing his lips against hers. "There will be another night, right? I want to continue seeing you."

"That sounds very tempting," April playfully replied. She placed her hands against his chiseled pecs and smiled. "The more time I spend with you, the more charming you become."

A knock on the door interrupted their next kiss and Jackson pulled away to answer it. "Probably Karev. At least he has the rare courtesy to knock instead of coming in here and ruining our privacy." He opened the door and instead of his roommate outside, it was a woman with dirty blonde hair. The football player stared at her with wide eyes. "Leah?"

The woman forced her way into the hotel room. "A voicemail? You dumped me via voicemail?!" she angrily shouted. April cleared her throat causing her to look back at her confused. "And who is this?"

Jackson rushed in between the two women, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I can't believe you followed me here," he mumbled before facing April. "Umm… this is Leah Murphy. She's my-"

"Girlfriend. I'm his girlfriend. Who the hell are you?" Leah agitatedly interrupted.

"You've had a girlfriend this whole time?" April inquired, furrowing her brow at Jackson. Suddenly, Mr. Perfect turned into Mr. Douchebag. She walked past the other two and headed for the door. "You asshole!"

"April, she's not my girlfriend!" he insisted, running after her. Before she could leave, he pressed his hand against the door. She refused to look at him, but she deserved to know the whole story. "I broke up with her before I came here. I haven't been lying to you."

"So that makes me a rebound, right?" she murmured.

Pushing his arm away, April opened the door and hurriedly left his room. She returned to her own hotel room, fumbling with her keycard and slamming the door behind her once she made it inside. The loud noise caused both Jo and Alex to shoot up into a sitting position after waking up simultaneously. Standing a few feet away from the bed, the redhead stared at them appalled, while her roommate covered herself up with her blanket.

Alex squinted his eyes as his vision zoned in on the furious expression on April's face. "Dude… you and Avery do it?"

Jo scrunched her nose in confusion when her best friend groaned loudly and stormed out of the room. "What the hell just happened?" she grumbled, rubbing her eyes. "Hmm… it's time for you to go. I have to find April and figure out what's wrong."

"Can you do it in like fifteen minutes?" He leaned in and peppered kisses along her shoulder. A night that was initially disappointing turned into a night that pleased him greatly. Perhaps ordering porn and making fun of it while they ate their dinner was the key to getting through to Jo. Or it could have been the beer. Either way, he appreciated how the night ended. "She may need to be alone and let off some steam."

"Yeah, but if it has anything to do with your friend, I might have to kick his ass," she implied, reaching down towards the floor and picking up Alex's jeans. She threw them at his chest and searched for the rest of his clothes. "Last night was amazing, but you need to leave."

"Fine," he muttered and dressed himself. "Do you want to meet up for breakfast after you're done dealing with April's chick issues or whatever? I'll give Avery some crap if this is his fault, okay?"

"You're such a sweetheart," Jo sarcastically answered, rolling her eyes with a smile on her face. "Let's see how long this will take first. I have a feeling I will be handing her a ton of tissues later."

Alex finished getting dressed and stood up. "Alright, I'll go find out what Avery did then. Just don't pretend this never happened when we see each other again. Your sounds last night said otherwise," he quipped, ducking after Jo threw a pillow at him. "I'm going, I'm going!"

He left the room and walked back to his own with a smile on his face. The sex with Jo had been great, but he truly enjoyed spending time with her. Although it took some time before she softened up to him, he was positive he met somebody who understood him better than any other woman he previously hooked up with. And she was no pushover. He had to earn her respect.

When he entered his hotel room he found Jackson lying down on his bed wearing nothing but basketball shorts. His roommate's eyes were covered by his left forearm and he appeared to be upset about something. "Dude, what happened with Kepner?" he inquisitively asked while he removed his jacket. "She showed up in her and Jo's room, made some weird sound and left. What the hell did you do?"

Jackson shot up into a sitting position and pounded his fist against the mattress. "It wasn't me! It- it was Leah!" he exclaimed, drawing a surprised reaction from Alex. "She's here! About ten minutes ago, she showed up at my door."

"I told you that chick was crazy," he chuckled, shaking his head as he walked towards his own bed.

"She thinks breaking up with her via voicemail doesn't count, so she introduced herself to April as my girlfriend. I tried to explain to April that we weren't together, but now she thinks she's a rebound," the pretty boy bitterly responded.

"No offense, man, but she _is_ a rebound," Alex noted.

"But I don't see her that way!" Jackson retorted. "I don't want to pretend I never met April after this trip is over. I want to date her, drive to Fort Collins to see her whenever I can. I like her a lot, Karev. And now she can't stand to be around me."

His teammate stared at him uncomfortably. "Are we having a sappy, chick talk?"

"C'mon, this is serious. Quit being an ass and be a real friend for once."

"Avery, it's not my fault that _you_ never told her about Leah. All you had to tell her was, 'I just got out of a relationship last freaking weekend', but you didn't. You were too busy drooling over her to be straight with her. So you know what? You deserved what just happened to you. Your Prince Charming demeanor might work for you 99% of the time, but you screwed up. Instead of being a total pansy, man up and go talk to her," Alex bluntly stated. "I may be your wingman or whatever, but I'm tired of being the guy who has to stand next to you, so you can look good."

Jackson remained speechless as Alex went into the bathroom to take a shower. He was used to his best friend speaking his mind whether it was appropriate or not. But dammit, Karev was right. Then again, neither of them expected Leah to follow them to Aspen, which for him proved that his ex was too clingy. It was his mess to fix and moping on his bed wouldn't help the matter. He got himself a new change of clothes and rushed out of his hotel room to search for April.

* * *

Even in a large resort, Jo knew where to find April. She ruled out the mountains because her roommate wasn't a snowboarder to begin with. There had been numerous times when the redhead needed to unleash her anger through physical activity, though she found it rather quirky. It wasn't kickboxing or beating a punching bag, but something that was supposed to be fun and not violent.

The recreation center wasn't located too far from their lodge and to her delight, Jo found April in one of the many gyms playing badminton with a young boy possibly no older than twelve. Her best friend, though, wasn't giving the boy much of a chance as she consistently smashed the birdie at the helpless victim with her badminton racket. She knew that when this happened, the normally calm and collected woman was pissed.

"Hey, stop it!" the boy yelled after getting nailed in between the eyes by her.

"Oh, be a big boy and suck it up!" April barked, pointing her racket at the boy. Inside of that petite body was a feisty competitor who showed zero mercy to her opponents. "My point. Your turn to serve."

"No! You're gonna kill me!"

She rolled her eyes and blew some hair away from her face. "Serve the damn birdie!"

Jo intervened, stepping in front of April and wrapping an arm around her waist. She forced a grin as she glanced back at the scared tween. "Sorry about that, kid. We're leaving now," she apologized before dragging her roommate outside into an empty hallway. "Are you trying to get arrested? You could've blinded that kid if you beamed him in the eye!"

April pouted. "Well, he's a boy and when he grows up he'll be just as stupid as the rest of them," she muttered, setting the racket aside and folding her arms.

Placing her hands on top of the redhead's shoulders, Jo sighed. "Did Jackson do something to you? Because if he did, I'm willing to spend a night in jail for you. He only has one good arm to fight with anyway," she jokingly said, but April wasn't laughing. "Seriously, what happened?"

"He has or had a girlfriend who showed up this morning that he didn't tell me about," she murmured with a frown on her face. "And he broke up with her in a voicemail! How immature is that? I don't care if she's obsessed or crazy. You don't do that to a woman!"

"Oh, wow. I'm so sorry," she sympathetically replied, pulling April in for a hug.

Her friend suddenly broke down crying. "I'm just a rebound," she sobbed, burying her face into Jo's shoulder. "Why can't I f-find a decent man? Am- am I doing something wrong?"

"No, you've just been unlucky," Jo comforted her, rubbing her back. "Is there anything I can do?"

"My ideas consist of you going to prison, so there isn't much to say," April mumbled. She wiped away her tears with the back of her hand after taking a step back away from Jo. "Can we just… actually, I want to go home."

"Are you sure?"

She slowly nodded. "Look, I know this entire trip was my idea for you. You're free to stay because you have this thing with Alex and I don't want to ruin that for you, but I don't want to be here anymore. I'm sorry, Jo."

Jo waved her hand and sadly smiled. "Don't be. You know, I don't really know how it happened. We were just joking around and one thing led to another…" She paused when April frowned at her. "Alex turned out be a pretty awesome guy, but you're more important to me. I don't want you going home alone," she declared. "I'm going with you, okay? We'll have plenty of girlfriend, junk food eating quality time together in our apartment."

"You'd do that for me?"

"We're best friends! Of course I would," she chuckled. "No man comes before you, April. I learned my lesson with Matthew and I'm not going to put anybody ahead of you, especially when an idiot shatters your heart the way Jackson did."

The two women left the recreation center together. Jo comforted her roommate, wrapping an arm over her shoulder while she let April quietly cry beside her. She had been in her best friend's shoes before, so she understood exactly how it felt to feel worthless. And she had been hopeful that Jackson was perfect for April.

They returned to their hotel room to pack their belongings. After bringing their luggage to the main lobby, Jo checked them out early, while April waited outside for a shuttle to take them to the airport. Alex arrived at the lobby and quickly approached the brunette.

"Hey, you two leaving?" he asked curiously.

"Yes. It's not because of you, obviously. This is for April," Jo confirmed, turning around after she received her credit card. She placed her hand against Alex's chest. "Listen, I know I was hardly polite to you in the few days we've been here, but you are a good guy."

"Damn. I wanted to take you out to dinner tonight," Alex dejectedly replied, stuffing his hands inside of his pockets. "Can't you convince Kepner to stick around? I'll tie down Jackson to a chair in our room if it means he'll stay away from her."

Grabbing a pen from the front desk, she picked up his hand and scribbled numbers on his palm. "That's my number. Call me if you don't want to pretend last night didn't happen," the volleyball player instructed. She kissed his cheek and smiled. "See you later, douchebag."

A smile formed off the corner of Alex's mouth as he watched Jo exit the lobby. He gazed down at his hand and stared at her phone number. His eyes were too focused on the hand he wasn't sure he would wash again that he failed to notice Jackson approaching him.

"Finally give up on Jo?" he muttered.

"Nope." Alex waved his hand in front of Jackson's face and grinned. "This, my friend, is her number. She voluntarily gave it to me after we did some naked dancing last night in her room."

His roommate rolled his eyes. "Good for you, I guess. Have you seen April? I can't find her and nobody's answering the door in their room." He watched Alex point at the pair, who were climbing into the airport shuttle. "Wait. Are they leaving?"

"Affirmative, dude."

"And you're letting them?!" Jackson exclaimed with wide eyes. "I still need to talk to April!"

He sprinted towards the exit only to be cut off by Leah. "There you are. You and I have unfinished business," she gleefully greeted him, grasping his arm. She noticed the cast on his right arm and gasped. "You poor thing. Want me to buy you some hot cocoa?"

Jackson groaned as he watched the shuttle drive away. He politely but angrily pushed Leah aside and cursed out loud. "We're broken up! I broke up with you! That means we are _broken up_," he irritably replied. "And breaking up with you wasn't an invitation for you to crash my vacation like a stalking ex-girlfriend, which is basically what you are now."

She scowled at him. "Who dumps their girlfriend through voicemail? It either means you're an asshole or you're too much of a coward to tell people how you feel to their face. No wonder that other girl you were with hates you. I bet you never told her that you just got out of a committed relationship."

"Six weeks isn't what I call a _committed_ relationship," he retorted. "I should've listened to Karev when he told me you get attached too easily."

Jackson stormed outside and dialed April's cell phone number. Unsurprisingly, he was automatically sent to her voicemail. He wanted to chase her down and stop her from leaving, but he suspected she wouldn't listen to him. They had only known each other for three days. Any trust they built between each other in that time was likely lost.

He wasn't ready to give up, though.

* * *

Two days passed and April remained glum after returning to Fort Collins. Stuffing her face with ice cream barely made her feel any better. It only gave her stomach aches. She tried her hardest to get over Jackson. Perhaps it was best that they weren't in a serious relationship. Otherwise, the fallout would have been more painful. She couldn't stop thinking about how charming and kind he had been to her, though. And one screw up had to ruin everything.

_There will be other men like him_, she thought.

She shook her head as she stared at the TV from the couch. Oh, who was she kidding? Jackson carried every quality that she found perfect in a man and he blew it. She was back in Single Town.

Jo entered the living room with a plate of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. "Look, I didn't burn these this time," she proudly announced, setting the plate on the coffee table. "My baking skills are getting better, see?"

"But do your words match the quality of the cookie?" April teasingly said with a smirk.

"I should be offended, but I haven't tried it yet either, so I'll withhold my judgment. How about we watch a movie?" she suggested. "Which sappy chick flick that I'm normally opposed to will I sit through next? Did we go through your entire Nicholas Sparks collection? I can do without those."

"Umm… let me go check in my room," the redhead murmured. She stood up and walked to her bedroom to find a movie to watch.

Jo reached for one of her cookies and bit into it. Her smile changed into a disgusted expression as she spit it out in her hand. "Crap. I knew I mixed up the salt and the sugar bowls," she muttered to herself, taking the plate and tossing the cookies into the trash can. There was a knock on the door and she answered it. Jackson stood in front of her and she slightly glared at him. "It's you."

The football player removed his beanie and twisted it back and forth in his hands. "Is she here?" he asked eagerly.

"Maybe," she replied, furrowing her brow at him. "But why should I let you see her?"

"Because I brought Karev with me," Jackson answered, pointing over the balcony at Alex, who was sitting on a park bench outside. "And he also got your address from you, so we could drive up here after we came back from Aspen."

Jo held up a finger. "One second," she said, closing the front door. A minute later, she opened the door again. This time, she stepped outside wearing a thick jacket and a pair of UGG boots. "Go inside and don't make her cry. She's still a little fragile."

He smiled as he walked past her. "Thank you."

She strolled down the stairs leading to her apartment and met with Alex at the bench. He stood up, spreading his arms out as he grinned at her. "Hey, babe!"

"Ugh, don't call me that," Jo scolded him before throwing her arms over his shoulders and kissing his lips. They had texted back and forth to each other since she left Aspen, but she kept that from April, so she wouldn't feel singled out. "So, you think letting him in was a good idea?"

"He's been patient and really annoying with his moping, so give the guy a chance," Alex insisted, then he scanned the area. "Besides, I want to find that Matthew guy. I want to shake his hand – and then break it."

She let out a laugh. "Actually, he's studying abroad this semester."

"What? You got me all excited to finally meet this dude and he's not even in the same country as us?" he whined, shaking his head.

Jo playfully shrugged and she smiled. "Sorry. You'd rather see me, though, right?"

Alex smirked as he leaned in for another kiss. "You'll do," he jokingly said, causing her to punch his shoulder. He winced and rubbed the sore spot on his shoulder. "Well, you definitely don't hit like a girl."

Meanwhile in the apartment, Jackson waited for April on the couch. She finally emerged from her bedroom holding three DVD's in her hand. "Not Nicholas Sparks, Jo, so you can relax." She stopped a few feet away from him after she noticed him in the living room. "What are you doing here?"

Jackson stood up and slowly approached her. "I wanted to see you. How are you?"

"I'm… fine," she timidly replied and bit her bottom lip. "Why are you here?"

"C'mon, you know why. You never gave me the chance to explain myself. Maybe I didn't deserve that chance, but I'm here because I care about you and you should know how I really feel about you," he firmly stated. "Okay, so when I first arrived in Aspen I wanted to hook up with someone to take my mind off of my crazy ex-girlfriend. I'll admit that, but when I met you I never saw you as a one night stand or a rebound. Not once."

"And why should I believe you?"

Jackson dropped his arms to his sides and frowned. "If I didn't care about you, I wouldn't have taken the time to drive up here to apologize. I thought a couple days would be enough to give you some space." He let out a sigh. "I really like you. I should've been a little more open about my past relationships since you opened up to me about your ex-boyfriend. To be honest, I didn't think it was a big deal because I wasn't expecting my ex to show up like that. I'm sorry that I made you think you didn't mean anything to me. Just give me one more chance to prove to you that I'm not the douche you think I am."

April quietly thought to herself, while he anxiously waited for an answer. "Don't expect me to jump into your arms right away, but umm… do you want to go grab some coffee?" she softly asked. "We can talk more then."

"I like coffee," he answered, sheepishly smiling at her.

She slightly smiled as she turned away and returned to her bedroom. Moments later, she came back wearing a jacket and shoes. "You're paying," she stated, opening the door and leaving her apartment.

"That's okay by me," he happily replied and followed her outside. The twosome found Alex and Jo waiting for them on the bench. "We're gonna get some coffee. Want to join us?"

"Well, since that doofus Matthew isn't even around, sure," Alex agreed. He kept his arm draped over Jo's shoulder as the foursome started walking along the path. "April, did Avery ever admit to you that he broke his freaking wrist ice skating?"

"No…" the redhead slowly answered, suspiciously looking at Jackson. "Really? That's why you were afraid to ice skate with me?"

Alex chuckled. "Dude, he was trying to show off to some chicks and he fell flat on his face. He tried to use his arms to break his fall and his wrist snapped like a twig," he recalled, laughing until Jackson reached over and slapped him upside the head. "Hey, if you plan on being honest with her now, you gotta tell her _everything_."

Jackson rolled his eyes and pursed his lips. Very typical of his roommate to blurt out his embarrassing moments in front of a woman he liked. "Fine. That's the truth," he mumbled, then he leaned towards a smirking April. "Remind me to kill Karev later."


End file.
